Chapter 671: Chapter 48: The Game
Eleanor wasn’t in armor today, after all, wearing armor to a team-building tour would be a bit too much—she wore a simple denim shirt over a bulging T-shirt, and her lower half was tightly wrapped in long pants.
Honestly, such attire was very homely, yet it had a particularly stunning effect on Eleanor. If you were used to seeing her in heroic armor 365 days a year, you’d probably feel the same.
Oh, after all, Eleanor is a girl.
“Err, maybe just forget about it,” suggested Nora when she saw Eleanor intertwining her fingers, struggling to start a conversation but ultimately hesitating, somewhat pitifully initiating the talk.
Nora wore a plain white dress today, complete with a pretty ribboned straw hat that she placed securely on her lap. She spoke with composure and intelligence, carrying the unique calm and authority of a “main consort.”
This immediately annoyed Mia:
“Wait a minute! Wasn’t it decided that whoever drew the short bamboo stick has to follow the commands of the person with the long stick, without interference from others?”
“I’m not interfering,” Nora said with a smile, “I was just suggesting… perhaps you’d like to change the command, little Mia?”
Mia was about to retort with stubbornness when she suddenly felt something off about Nora’s presence.
Ah, how frightening! It felt like saying the wrong thing could end up getting her killed!
“So I…” She couldn’t help but stutter when Medea stepped in to save the situation.
“Hold on, the rules of the game don’t allow change midway. If a command has already been given, of course, it can’t be switched. Right, Aske?”
She clung to Aske’s right arm, pouting as she spoke. Immediately, several gazes filled with killing intent fell on her long legs under her hot pants and the fair skin peeking out from the neckline and sleeves of her T-shirt.
Incidentally, the graphic on her T-shirt was severely distorted, likely the most exaggerated size in the group, thus attracting the most hate. Peggy even silently gathered a dark gleam between her fingers, barely holding back from cursing Medea to death.
“Cough, as you say,” Aske mediated, “but Mia didn’t specify where to kiss, right?”
“What, you want to dictate where Eleanor should kiss you?” Nora suddenly turned indignant.
Normally a gentle girl could become incredibly frightening when angered, making the others shrink back, while Aske hurried to explain:
“No, I mean, something nonchalant like the back of the hand… would that be fine?”
He said cautiously, discreetly dropping his mental defenses. Nora watched him seriously for a moment before releasing a deep sigh,
“Really. Even so, you shouldn’t be the one to suggest it.”
Her implication was that she had already figured out a way to defuse the situation; but now, because of Aske’s interjection, it had become awkward to propose her idea.
“Well…” Aske hesitated, only to be interrupted by Eleanor suddenly speaking up:
“I can do it.”
“Eleanor?” Nora was surprised.
She, of course, knew her close friend’s personality. Although Eleanor was extremely shy, she was stubborn to a remarkable degree. Forcing her to do something she didn’t want to was even more difficult than killing her.
So… if Eleanor didn’t mind, then it was fine.
So, Nora sighed. She wasn’t so sensitive as to be jealous of Aske’s hand being kissed by someone else. As for Medea, she didn’t care—so long as she got a share of the “meat,” it didn’t matter if others got a bite first.
The problem was with Peggy, whose glare at Eleanor looked like it would burst into flames. Luckily, with a mental suggestion from Nora and Medea, whispering something to her, Peggy’s expression softened, and she turned her head away.
“Is it that upsetting?” Thira said with a laugh, “It’s just the back of a hand.”
“I’ve never even kissed the Squad Leader’s hand!” Peggy huffed angrily.
Nora had already stood up quietly, and Eleanor had taken her place, picking up Aske’s left hand.
Squad Leader’s left hand… utterly ordinary, with no distinguishing features. However, Eleanor held it with a shy timidity, slowly warming to the faint warmth at her fingertips.
Then, she bent her head down and her lips gently touched the back of Aske’s hand, her golden hair concealing her cheeks.
Aske:………..
It was just a touch on the back of the hand; why did it feel as serious as a marriage proposal?
He was still savoring the residual warmth and soft feeling on the back of his hand when Eleanor had already retaken her seat, looking as if nothing had happened. Nora also returned to her seat and smiled at Aske.
That smile… made the traces of romantic fantasy lingering in Aske’s heart disappear completely.
“Shall we continue playing?” Medea drawled.
“Why don’t we play Werewolf?” Nora took out a deck of cards and smiled, “Originally, we didn’t have enough people to play, which was why we later expanded the team.”
Werewolf? For us Mind Mages, isn’t that just a freebie game? The thought whirled through Medea’s mind, when she heard Nora say:
“Of course, the use of Extraordinary Abilities is prohibited.”
“Interesting,” said Medea with a smile.
Her ability to sense ill-intentioned “Conspiracy” was a completely passive Skill, unable to control whether it was activated or not, not consuming Spirituality, and, of course, impossible to detect by any means.
So don’t I still have a huge advantage?
Medea thought confidently, then heard Nora say with a smile:
“Of course, we still need a referee. I propose Medea for the role; what does everyone think?”
Swish swish swish, except for Sigrdrifa, everyone raised their hands in unison.
Medea:………..
She pinched Aske’s waist somewhat irritably, and he immediately made a pained face.
“Everyone voted for you by public vote; why pinch only me… Sigrdrifa, aren’t you joining?”
“Playing? Oh, yes.” Sigrdrifa, as if waking from a trance, laughed and said, “Then I’ll play too.”
So, everyone started drawing cards, and Medea stood by with her arms crossed, quietly activating her Mind Communication ability, asking Miel:
“What’s with Sigrdrifa’s condition? There seems to be something unusual remaining inside her Mind Body.”
“That’s a gift from the future Sigrdrifa, given to her before she left,” Miel answered calmly, “It mainly consists of Memory Fragments, which might include obsessions, experiences, Inspiration about the Law, etc., enabling her to advance faster.”
“Is that so?” Medea mused.
“Do you want one too?” Miel asked.
“No need,” Medea chuckled coldly, “My future self… must be much stronger than I am now. I dare not let her meddle in my Mind Body.”
“You can’t even trust yourself?” Miel laughed.
“It’s precisely because I understand myself well enough that I can’t afford to trust,” Medea replied.
Miel:………..
I’m at my wits’ end with you.